# Chapter 3: Let's Talk
Su Xiao walked out from the narrow alley. Bubu Wang and Baha were already waiting at the entrance of the alley. As for Amu, it was outside the city of Arans.
Due to having too little known information, Su Xiao temporarily decided not to go to the Holy Court. That was the power center of the Sera Empire, and without a certain status, even if he arrived there, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything.
Baha spread its wings and flew high into the sky, heading straight for the estate of the Old Duke, Adrian Alfer. That estate was about five kilometers from Arans City.
As for the First-Class Medal of the Sera Empire in Su Xiao's hand, he didn't plan to use it. Once the starting point was determined, he could only follow that line of promotion step by step.
There was no need to think about it — the Old Duke's estate was definitely fraught with danger. With Su Xiao's current strength, it wasn't that he had no way to forcefully break in. While it was impossible to withstand the Sera Empire's army, smashing through a duke's estate was no problem.
Moreover, Bubu Wang could scout the situation inside the duke's estate. If it was too dangerous there, Su Xiao had other methods.
Fighting wits and courage with enemies was indeed interesting, but if a problem could be solved by charging straight in, why go around in circles? When encountering rulers who couldn't be faced head-on, then matching wits with them was the best choice.
Baha quickly disappeared from Su Xiao's sight. As for Beini, who was already moving freely, this time she was responsible for tracking down traces of Xi.
Xi really liked cats. As a cat person, even if Beini was discovered, as long as she wasn't completely exposed, she could survive for a while by acting cute.
Besides, Beini had seen all kinds of storms. She had actually been to more dangerous places than Su Xiao — the difference was that one was about sneaking around, and the other was about killing straight through.
Half an hour later, Su Xiao arrived at the base of Arans City's wall. This wall was conservatively estimated to be thirty meters high, showing the impact of war on this country.
Su Xiao leaned against the wall. After 5 minutes and 23 seconds, he placed one foot on Amu's forearm.
Bang!
Su Xiao broke through a layer of air waves as he gradually decelerated in mid-air, finally landing on top of the wall.
Arriving at the other side of the wall, Su Xiao jumped down. Not long after, Amu also climbed up the wall and jumped down from where Su Xiao had been.
Outside the wall was a moat, and further out was an endless green wheat field. In terms of farming and animal husbandry, the Sera Empire completely crushed the Northern Alliance. That was a bitterly cold region with fierce folk customs — good at fighting, but not good at production.
It was now noon, with the blazing sun overhead. This was obviously not the time to sneak into... or rather, attack the duke's estate. Such matters were better suited for nighttime.
Su Xiao found a crooked tree fork, lay down on it, crossed his legs, and listened to the cicadas as he rested.
Scarecrows were planted throughout the wheat fields. Bubu Wang crouched under one scarecrow, playing happily with it.
The sun in the sky went from scorching to gradually dimming red, finally slowly disappearing below the horizon.
When the bright moon hung high, Su Xiao sat up from the crooked tree fork. The night breeze gently brushed against him. Having rested for an entire afternoon, his spirit was exceptionally refreshed.
"Is the situation at the duke's estate confirmed?"
"Confirmed. No more than 20 visible guards. As for those hidden in the shadows..."
Baha looked at Bubu Wang.
"Woof."
Bubu Wang barked once, meaning the information was quite extensive — better to talk through the team channel.
According to Bubu Wang's investigation, there were a total of 29 guards in the duke's estate, 20 of them visible, and the remaining 9 hidden.
For an imperial duke, this was somewhat unbelievable. The Old Duke had the right to station troops, allowing him to deploy 500 to 2,000 soldiers near his estate to protect himself and his family's safety.
Not only had the Old Duke, Adrian Alfer, not stationed troops in his estate, but he had actually reduced the number of guards. No matter how you looked at it, this was abnormal.
Su Xiao felt this should be a conflict between power factions. According to the intelligence Bubu Wang had gathered, the Old Duke had been bedridden for a month and could kick the bucket at any moment.
Of course, this was only what Bubu Wang had seen. There should be more to it.
"Boss, what's the plan?"
"Fight our way in through the front gate. We have no bargaining chips right now. The 'first pot of gold' is very important."
"Understood."
Baha disappeared into the night. Su Xiao also jumped down from the crooked tree fork and tucked the sheathed Dragon-Slaying Flash into his waist.
Over ten minutes later, Su Xiao arrived in front of the duke's estate. This estate covered about three hectares, the size of four football fields. The outer wall wasn't tall, showing a sense of age without appearing dilapidated.
"Amu."
The moment Su Xiao spoke, Amu charged forward with large strides, leaving pits in the ground wherever it stepped.
Boom!
Broken stone fragments flew everywhere. Amu crashed straight through the wall and rushed into the estate. Then... nothing happened.
No guards came charging. Only over a dozen hunting dogs ran forward, barking loudly at Amu. Though they were trembling all over from fear, they still fulfilled their duty.
"Moo!"
Amu let out a furious roar. The dozen or so hunting dogs were so scared they soiled themselves, their legs going weak.
Hmm~
A strange whistling sound came, and the next moment, the muscles on those dozen hunting dogs suddenly bulged. Their white, gleaming fangs protruded as they drooled and pounced at Amu.
Whoosh — one of the hunting dogs turned into a blur, suddenly appearing in front of Amu and biting down on its head.
Amu was equally ferocious. It slapped itself hard in the face. Splat — the frenzied hunting dog's head was smashed to pieces. That bite hadn't even broken Amu's skin.
A short scream suddenly rang out. Blood splattered as Baha flicked its claws, throwing out a woman dressed in animal hide with bone-tooth necklaces. She had been in stealth just moments ago.
Meanwhile, inside the castle at the rear of the estate, a pair of blood-red eyes opened in the darkness.
"The Duke of Lilin's people have arrived. Fortunately, the master anticipated this."
"For the family."
"For..."
The voice in the darkness had just sounded when a whistling noise suddenly came.
Thud!
A round stone smashed through the wall and embedded itself into the wall further behind. Wisps of cold air drifted from the stone.
Over ten seconds later, several figures rushed out of the castle shrouded in darkness, heading straight for Amu.
The castle was eerily silent. In a bedroom on the third floor, an old man with a withered face, so thin he was just skin and bones, lay on the bed. He seemed like he could die at any moment.
Bang — the window was pushed open, and the night breeze blew the curtains.
"How many gold pounds did Lilin give you? I'll pay a hundred times."
The old man lying on the bed spoke. He was the Old Duke, Adrian Alfer.
"..."
Su Xiao didn't speak. Instead, he pulled over a chair and sat down.
Noticing this, the Old Duke lying on the bed sat up. Cracking sounds of bones rubbing came from all over his body.
"You're not one of Duke Lilin's people."
The Old Duke's murky eyes looked at Su Xiao.
"Holy Descendant."
Su Xiao examined the Old Duke. Just now, he had sensed the other's gray-black aura. That viscous "death" — it was the first time he had seen something like that.
The Old Duke was critically ill? Don't be ridiculous. Holy Descendants wouldn't die naturally. This was clearly a trap.
The rumbling in the courtyard didn't stop. Eight guards were surrounding and attacking Amu. Amu's heart was completely calm. If not for these little shorties being fast, it could flatten them one by one.
Under the moonlight, eight men and women in various attire surrounded Amu. The same thought appeared in all their minds: "What kind of monster is this?"
In the Old Duke's bedroom, Su Xiao sat by the window. The Old Duke sat by the bed. The two stared at each other in silence.
"Lilin couldn't possibly have the means or qualifications to recruit someone like you. Young man, tell me, what do you want?"
The Old Duke lit the whale oil lamp on the bedside table. The dim yellow flame dispelled the darkness.
"..."
Su Xiao still didn't speak. He was thinking about what kind of situation he had gotten involved in, and whether he could gain some advantage from it.
"Are you... from the Abyss?"
The Old Duke really couldn't figure out which faction someone with such powerful oppressive force came from. He could already see the blood energy drifting in the air.
"Let's make a deal. I want the authority of the duke's position. In return, I'll let you transition from death to life. I can't guarantee success — it's only a possibility."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the Old Duke, who had lived for who knows how many years, was stunned for a moment. Then he let out a sinister laugh.
"Young man, do you really think I, Adrian Alfer, am afraid of you?"
The Old Duke's eyes gradually turned gray-black. Thick black smoke drifted from all over his body. He decided to stop hiding his strength.
Zheng~
Su Xiao slowly drew the long blade from his waist. Suddenly, blood energy exploded like a bomb, surging wildly outward. The glass window cracked with a crackling sound.
The Old Duke's white hair was blown by the blood energy. His withered cheek twitched twice.
"Young man, what did you say just now?"
The Old Duke sat back on the bed, putting on an expression that said, "We're all civilized people here, why resort to swords and guns?"
"I want the authority of the duke's position. In return, I'll let you transition from death to life. Of course, it's only a possibility."
"Hmm, then let's talk carefully. My nephew from the countryside — have you had dinner yet?"
The Old Duke smiled kindly, looking like a benevolent old man. Just now, he had confirmed that he absolutely couldn't defeat Su Xiao. The methods he had prepared were only for dealing with Holy Descendants. He had been planning this for a long time to eliminate a trusted subordinate of his old rival.
An undying person? Don't be ridiculous. If he was chopped to pieces, the Old Duke would die too.
The Old Duke was somewhat unlucky. He had originally wanted to lure in Duke Lilin's people, but before they arrived, Su Xiao had shown up.